Chapel Hill votes today in Town Council election with potential for a big impact

The Chapel Hill Town Council will welcome at least one new member to its ranks after all the votes are tallied — but with four seats up for grabs in a competitive race, council membership could see a major shake-up.

Those changes could have a big impact on Chapel Hill’s future, affecting everything from revenue use and development to town relations with the University.

Voters will choose from a nine-candidate ballot including liberals, fiscal conservatives and two recent UNC graduates.

“It’s significantly more competitive, and I don’t think anyone really knows exactly how it’s going to turn out,” said second-time candidate Jon DeHart.

All candidates say they want to improve town revenue and growth — but each has a specific vision for Chapel Hill’s future and approach for achieving it.

Town/Gown

Linda Convissor, the University’s director of local relations, said UNC relations with the town could improve if either Lee Storrow or Jason Baker, both recent graduates, are elected.

“A former student perspective would bring a lot to the council, because professors are often our biggest critics, but students gain a broader view of the campus,” she said.

“They know the players, the campus culture and how the dynamics work at the University.”

And Young Democrats President Nathan Westmoreland and College Republicans Chairman Greg Steele said they think having a fresh-from-UNC voice on the council could improve the government’s understanding of student needs.

“It’s exciting for me and for the University community that we have a couple of young people running,” Westmoreland said.

“We could develop a really strong relationship with the town with good input from both sides.”

Steele said the University deserves greater representation.

“In this community, the University is such a big part of everything that goes on, so it’s very important students are represented in the town,” he said.

Freshman anthropology major Grant Muir said students will be affected by the election and he thinks they could have an impact on the results.

“When you look at the town’s population demographics, the student population is big, which makes it important,” Muir said. “Students have a lot of power and could sway an election if they were organized.”

Westmoreland stressed the importance for students to vote.

“We’ve had the forums and debates and seen the candidates’ questionnaires, and now it’s just all about getting students out to the polls.”

Economic/fiscal concerns

Former Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy said the council will face tough decisions if the economy doesn’t turn around soon — making this election particularly important.

“The people who we choose to make decisions for our community are going to have to make very difficult choices about our priorities,” he said.

Gregg Gerdau, secretary of Chapel Hill’s Friends of the Downtown — a nonprofit that addresses business concerns — said economic sustainability and affordable housing are major issues the newly elected council will have to tackle.

“An exceedingly high portion of the town revenues comes from sales and other revenue taxes and that’s not sustainable,” he said.

He said inflated property values have also become a problem the council must address.

“We can’t attract a diverse community with housing prices creeping towards half a million dollars.”

Steele said his group is excited to see candidates who endorse fiscal responsibility on the ballot.

“Many levels of government are in need of a change and need to make spending cutbacks,” he said. “Electing fiscal conservatives is extremely important to doing that.”

But regardless of fiscal outlook, tough choices lie ahead for those who win seats.

“We just don’t have the money to have everything we think should be a priority at the top of the list,” Foy said.

Youth vs. Experience

The current town council’s youngest member is 40 years old — but the board could see two much younger members after this election.
At the same time, three incumbents — Matt Czajkowski, Jim Ward and Donna Bell — are hoping to bring their experience back to the table.

Gerdau said he’s glad to see a diverse group of candidates running for the council, but thinks experience is what Chapel Hill needs in the coming years.

“We need some good thinking, and we need some good leadership,” he said. “We need those tried and true hands at the tiller now.”

But Julie McClintock, a former council member who remains active in town affairs, said she also thinks it’s important to add fresh voices to council discussion.

“I’m tremendously enthused about getting some young people on the council, particularly ones with values that correspond to the town,” she said.

The former council member said voters should judge the candidates less on where they come from and how old they are, and more on what kind of council members they would be.

Regional development

The council election results could also have repercussions that extend well beyond town limits.

Ferrel Guillory, a journalism professor who specializes in local politics, said Chapel Hill is becoming an increasingly important player in the surrounding metropolitan area.

He said issues like transportation and development will require closer cooperation between Chapel Hill and its neighboring cities and towns.

“Chapel Hill has become a job magnet in North Carolina and we need a local government that doesn’t isolate itself or hunker down and take a narrow view,” he said.

“Because of the way the economy has changed, I think this election has an importance beyond our individual district, the surrounding metropolitan area has blossomed and our officials need to reflect that blossoming.”

Foy agreed that the candidates elected to the council will play key roles in shaping the how the town evolves regionally.

“Chapel Hill is not the same place it was 20 years ago,” he said. “It has grown and it will keep growing, but the real questions are how it will grow, what pace it will grow at and who in the community will be involved. “

He said voters must realize what’s at stake.

“We need thoughtful people to make decisions that reflect our values if we expect to be true to ourselves.”

Contact the City Editor at city@dailytarheel.com.